Recaps

Russell attended the Elder Council as a newly recognized Phantom Dragon Knight and said he had not yet agreed to a deeper partnership with the Shadowflame Dragon. The Shadowflame Dragon dissolved the Elder Council and named Russell the new Grand Duke of the Shadowflame Grand Duchy.

• Count Merlin welcomed Russell to the Elder Council, where Wyvern Knights had replaced several former ruling elders.
• Russell explained that he and Polly could fight the Shadowflame Dragon at a four-to-six ratio and said he was still considering the dragon’s proposal for deeper cooperation.
• Russell promised the Shadowflame Grand Duchy would grow stronger whether or not he and the Shadowflame Dragon cooperated, then left the meeting.
• The Elder Council went to Shadowflame Volcano and asked the Shadowflame Dragon how Russell should be rewarded.
• The Shadowflame Dragon ordered the Elder Council dissolved and declared Russell the new Grand Duke of the Shadowflame Grand Duchy.

Russell was chosen as the new Grand Duke of the Shadowflame Grand Duchy, while the Elder Council prepared to end the Selecting the Young Masters system and arrange his coronation. Count Merlin accepted that his own time in power was ending and turned to Mercedes to prepare a wedding gift for Mel.

• Mel and Annie Xuanfuhua traveled toward Volcanic Oasis as Dark Chronicles entertained serfs and audiences in the cities.
• Marquis Arno urged Nicholas to write about Russell’s latest achievements, including his battle with the Frost Troll Da and his rise as a Phantom Dragon Knight.
• Count Merlin told the Elder Council that Russell had been chosen as Grand Duke and that they needed only to prepare his coronation.
• Count Merlin ordered the abolition of the Selecting the Young Master system and the removal of Kunsley, Mel, and Augustus from their titles.
• Count Merlin reflected on the end of the Shadowflame Dragonblood Family’s rule and told Mercedes he wanted to give Mel a wedding gift.

Count Merlin told Russell that the Shadowflame Dragon had chosen him as the new grand duke, despite Russell not yet agreeing to form a contract. Russell said he would rather establish his own country elsewhere, leaving Count Merlin to wonder whether he knew another dragon.

• Count Merlin returned to his Small Castle after the Shadowflame Dragon disbanded the Elder Council and backed Russell's rise to power.
• Count Merlin met Russell in the rear garden, where they compared their Amber Bugs and discussed how fortune and effort had shaped their strength.
• Count Merlin told Russell that the Shadowflame Dragon had decided to appoint him grand duke.
• Russell questioned the appointment because he had not agreed to a contract with the Shadowflame Dragon and said he had no interest in becoming grand duke.
• Russell said he would rather establish a country elsewhere, and Count Merlin mistakenly concluded that he knew an unclaimed dragon or a dragon from another kingdom.

Russell accepted the Shadowflame Dragon’s choice and agreed to inherit the title of Grand Duke, despite preferring to establish a separate nation. He returned to Fluorite Castle at extraordinary speed, where his family welcomed him as the first Phantom Dragon Knight.

• Count Merlin warned Russell that King Ares was ambitious and urged him to inherit the Grand Duchy to prevent further upheaval.
• Russell agreed to become Grand Duke, and Count Merlin said Mel’s wedding would be postponed.
• Russell flew away so quickly that Mercedes marveled at his speed and reassured Count Merlin that Russell would lead the duchy into a new era.
• At Fluorite Castle, Baron Roman and the family discussed Russell’s advancement and learned that he had already returned from Red Castle.
• Russell waited outside with Sacred Unicorn Polly, and his family welcomed him and admired the powerful aura he had gained.

Russell returned to the Fluorite Mushroom Family with Sacred Unicorn Polly and announced that he would inherit the Shadowflame Grand Duchy. His family celebrated and prepared to help him rule, while Russell planned to establish a separate residence and care for Princess Anxia and Princess Kunlaya.

• Polly impressed the Fluorite Mushroom Family before transforming into a streak of lightning and imprinting herself on Russell's forehead.
• Russell met his newborn nephew Roger, and his family welcomed the infant while Russell reflected on his place as the family's second son.
• Russell arranged for Royal to follow him before his accession, and Uncle Rosen agreed to notify Royal.
• Russell told his family that he had reached an agreement with the Shadowflame Dragon and would soon be crowned Grand Duke.
• Russell explained that he would stay out of the Inner Castle until the young princess married, reorganize the cabinet, and bring Roland and Rosen to help him govern.
• The family toasted Russell's coming accession, and he raised his cup toward Red Castle, wishing for the wind and snow to cease.

Lord Kunbei informed Princess Anxia that Russell would inherit the Grand Duke’s throne and asked her to present the family’s regalia and insignia at his enthronement. Anxia accepted the succession but, uncertain how Russell would treat her and Kunlaya, decided to prepare a quiet home outside Red Castle.

• Lord Kunbei visited Princess Anxia and told her that Russell had become a Phantom Dragon Knight.
• Lord Kunbei explained that Russell would inherit the Grand Duke’s position and that the Elder Council was preparing his enthronement.
• Princess Anxia accepted Russell’s succession and agreed to present the scepter, crown, seal, ring, sword, and court robes.
• Princess Anxia asked what would happen to her and Kunlaya, and Lord Kunbei said they should receive courtesy but had no assurances from Shadowflame.
• Princess Anxia instructed a maid to pack their necessities and rent a small castle near Furious Wind City.

Red Castle’s delegation and wyvern knights departed to welcome Russell before his coronation as Grand Duke. As people celebrated his rise across the duchy, Mel told Count Merlin that Russell was the best choice for the throne, and Merlin agreed.

• Red Castle’s court gazette announced that Russell would become Grand Duke, and the coronation was set for July 8.
• Eight wyvern knights and a Dragon Blood Knights escort left Red Castle for Cigar Castle as crowds cheered for Russell.
• Grand Duchy nobles discussed Russell’s Phantom Dragon Knight status, the new path it represented, and how they would serve him as Grand Duke.
• Unaffiliated knights in a Furious Wind City tavern toasted Russell and hoped his rule would bring campaigns against the Snow Demons, while a one-eyed knight collected payment for helping the owner draw customers.
• Mel told Count Merlin that Earl Ade’s family had temporary lodging and that he was happy Russell would become Grand Duke; Count Merlin agreed Russell was the best choice.

Russell welcomed Sembra home, introduced her to his Phantom Beasts, and helped her settle near Polly. He reflected on his companions’ ambitions and on Ice Cream’s prolonged hibernation as he awaited his coronation.

• Russell met Rosai and Sembra at Red Bat Cave, then rode Sembra to Fluorite Castle and showed her to Baron Roman.
• Russell brought Sembra to Cigar Castle, where she chose to live near Polly in the bamboo forest.
• Polly agreed to let Sembra live in the bamboo forest, and Ouroboros welcomed Sembra and invited her to join future snowfield battles.
• Sembra agreed to fight alongside Ouroboros and said she wanted to become as strong as Polly.
• Russell saw that the M-shaped Mark was still burning and wondered when Ice Cream would wake from hibernation.

Count Oskro Willow and his family reacted with rage and fear to the edict ordering them to attend Russell Fluorite Mushroom’s coronation. Dai Wen secretly recorded their grievances and hoped Russell would punish the Water Willow Family after taking the throne.

• Shadow Guard knights delivered the coronation edict to Gravel Castle, and Count Oskro threw it down in anger.
• Madam Kunli urged Oskro to avoid the ceremony, but he insisted the family could not risk defying Russell’s order.
• Madam Kunli cursed Russell, the Shadowflame Dragon, and Merlin while Dai Wen silently remembered her words.
• Augustus returned drunk, and when Oskro tried to strike him, Augustus pulled Dai Wen in front of himself as a shield.
• Dai Wen returned to her room, wrote down the family’s curses and resentment, and wished for Russell to ascend the throne so she could testify against them.

After Russell’s succession as Grand Duke became certain, the Sunflower family prepared to submit to him while Russell oversaw a steam train test and arranged the future administration of Yunmeng Marsh Oasis. The chapter ended with Russell’s followers celebrating his coming ascension at Cigar Castle.

• Kunsley told Kunspe to accept Russell’s succession, while Baron Kunbif ordered Kunsley to accompany him to Red Castle and win the new Grand Duke’s favor.
• Russell watched the Steam Train complete a trial run at Black Oil Mine and announced plans to build a full train and railway across Yunmeng Marsh Oasis.
• Russell divided Yunmeng Marsh Oasis into Blackfire, Thunder Marsh, and Green Hill provinces and provisionally appointed Eric, Gelontan, and Grove as their governors.
• Charles and Katie chose to accompany Russell to Red Castle, and Katie joked that Jerry could help him clean out the castle’s rats.
• Russell ordered a followers’ banquet at Cigar Castle, where he and his followers celebrated his imminent ascension.

Russell accepted the Shadowflame Dragon’s decree naming him Grand Duke and traveled to Redcastle for his coronation. As the ceremony approached, he discussed the preparations and his family’s future roles with Roland and Mel.

• Lord Kunbei delivered the Shadowflame Dragon’s decree at Cigar Castle, and Russell accepted the call to inherit the Grand Duchy.
• Russell mounted Black Oil Dragon Rosai and led the delegation toward Redcastle, where nobles joined his procession along the way.
• Russell arrived in Redcastle on July 4 and prepared at the Small Castle for the coronation scheduled for July 8.
• Roland and Mel told Russell that the coronation arrangements were complete, and Russell promised Mel a three-month honeymoon before he joined the new government.
• Roland reflected that they would become sovereign and subjects, and Russell reassured him that they would remain brothers.

Russell Fluorite Mushroom was crowned Grand Duke of the Shadowflame Grand Duchy in a ceremony at Red Castle. As the realm hailed him, the Shadowflame Dragon flew from its volcano toward the castle.

• Russell rode into Red Castle as nobles and crowds gathered to witness his coronation.
• Lord Kunbei read the succession decree, and Princess Anxia performed the coronation rites.
• Russell received the Grand Duke’s regalia and ceremonial items, embodying the eight virtues of the Knight’s Path.
• Russell declared himself Grand Duke, ascended the throne, and received the realm’s kneeling acclamation.
• The Shadowflame Dragon emerged from Shadowflame Volcano and glided toward Red Castle.

After Russell’s coronation, the Shadowflame Dragon honored him with a Dragon’s Congratulatory Visit and pledged to join his quest to conquer the frost and snow. Russell received its origin dragonflame and gave it to Harpe, while the Shadowflame Dragon awaited the Little Dream Dragon’s awakening before their eventual contract.

• The Shadowflame Dragon invited Russell to the Dragon Platform, where Lord Kunbei recognized the invitation as a Dragon’s Congratulatory Visit.
• Russell met the Shadowflame Dragon and declared that he would conquer the world’s endless frost and snow; the dragon agreed to join him.
• The Shadowflame Dragon bestowed origin dragonflame on Russell, who gave it to Harpe to fuse with.
• The Shadowflame Dragon urged Russell not to make it wait too long, and Russell said their contract would follow the Little Dream Dragon’s awakening.

After his coronation, Russell handled the Dragon Blood Knights’ and nobles’ oaths of fealty and settled matters concerning the Inner Castle, Yunmeng Marsh Oasis, and the Elder Council. He persuaded Count Merlin to remain and form the cabinet by granting him the title of marquis in his first Golden Seal edict.

• Russell received the Dragon Blood Knights’ oath of fealty, followed by the nobles’ pledges, concluding the coronation ceremony.
• Russell decided to live in Cigar Castle, elevate it to Cigar Palace, and let Princess Anxia and her mother remain in the Inner Castle until Kunlaya came of age.
• Russell kept his surname, abolished or reserved Earl Thunderflame’s title for a future heir, and divided Yunmeng Marsh Oasis into three provinces to join Volcanic Oasis.
• Lord Kunbei told Russell that the Elder Council would dissolve in a week and that he needed to establish a cabinet.
• Count Merlin announced his retirement, but Russell issued his first Golden Seal edict to make him a marquis and asked him to form the cabinet.

Russell discussed Princess Anxia’s plans to leave the Red Castle and explained his views on the responsibilities that came with power. At Mel’s wedding, Mel became the new Manganese Steel Dragon Knight, while Marquis Merlin prepared to pursue the 5th Rank.

• Russell told Princess Anxia she could remain in charge of the Red Castle until Princess Kunlaya came of age, and she said she would instead spend most of her time at Red Oriole Castle.
• Russell explained to Princess Anxia that people who benefited from power had to accept its responsibilities, and she hoped his rule would bring the country prosperity.
• Russell offered Uncle Rosen the position of governor of Torrent Province and urged him to learn about industrialization in the Blackfire Land.
• In mid-July, Mel Monochoria married Annie Xuánfùhuā at Bluebird Castle and took over Mercedes’s contract to become the new Manganese Steel Dragon Knight.
• Marquis Merlin dismissed Russell’s concern about severing his contract with Mercedes and said he intended to advance to 5th Rank.

Russell and Marquis Merlin arranged the new Grand Duchy’s government and military leadership while debating whether to grant Princess Kunlaya a hereditary title. The chapter ended with Russell accepting that he and King Ares would have to confront the growing threat from the Snowfield.

• Marquis Merlin bypassed Meijie and gave the title of Earl Fuqiang directly to Mel, who planned to help Russell after his honeymoon.
• Russell appointed Marquis Merlin to lead government affairs and planned to make his father chairman of a Wyvern Military Advisory Group focused on the Snowfield invasion.
• Marquis Merlin recommended Kunbei as Chief Steward and Kunqiao as Keeper of the Seal, and Russell agreed.
• Russell proposed making Princess Kunlaya the Grand Duchy’s first female baron, but Marquis Merlin argued against granting her a hereditary title without military merit.
• Marquis Merlin reminded Russell that the Snowfield threat was growing, and Russell resolved that he and King Ares would have to step forward in dangerous times.

Russell established the Shadowflame Grand Duchy’s cabinet, military command, provincial administration, and Red Castle staff. Harpie then left to train on her own, determined to grow stronger beyond her current limits.

• Russell formed a seven-member cabinet and created the Wyvern Regiment under Baron Roman to command the Grand Duchy’s Wyverns.
• The cabinet divided the Grand Duchy into seven enclave provinces and eleven oasis provinces, and Russell approved acting governors for the oasis provinces.
• Russell appointed Katie to lead Red Castle’s palace guards, made Jerry its Rat Official, and assigned Leona to train as housekeeper after Morris returned to Cigar Palace.
• Harpie told Russell she wanted to venture out and gain experience after digesting Shadowflame’s source dragonflame, and Russell agreed to let her go alone.
• Harpie flew away from Red Castle, vowing to become as strong as Princess Polly.

Russell received foreign envoys, including Viscount Fred, whose gifts and interest in the Industrial Age brought him into the Shadowflame Grand Duchy’s orbit. At Shadowflame Volcano, the Shadowflame Dragon and Scorching argued over the Three-Dragon Sacrifice Method and vowed to thwart each other’s plans.

• Russell welcomed Viscount Fred Moltenfire, who revealed that his Pseudo-Griffon Dragon was trying to comprehend its ancestor’s claw and asked Russell for guidance on advancing to Dragon Domain Lord.
• Fred gave the Shadowflame Grand Duchy lavish gemstones, and Russell arranged for him to stay near Furious Wind City.
• Princess Anxia invited Fred to her Good Morning Salon, where she introduced the Industrial Age and encouraged him to visit Blackfire Land Province.
• King Ares arrived at Red Castle to congratulate Russell while the Scorching Dragon went to Shadowflame Volcano to confront the Shadowflame Dragon.
• The Scorching Dragon urged the Shadowflame Dragon to accept the Three-Dragon Sacrifice Method, but the Shadowflame Dragon vowed to reclaim its hope from Torrent and stop Scorching from returning to antiquity.

Russell learned that Frost Star’s unstable orbit suggested an unseen celestial body was pulling it, and King Ares warned that Frost Giants might descend when Frost Star approached Dragon Star. Russell then went to Dagger Mountain Observatory to examine its records and investigate the anomaly himself.

• Russell served King Ares green tea and told him he was developing cocktails.
• King Ares said astronomers had detected an unknown body affecting Frost Star’s orbit and warned that Frost Giants might descend as Frost Star neared Dragon Star.
• King Ares insisted that the Three-Dragon Sacrifice Method proceed, but Russell said Shadowflame would not agree; they also arranged to build Scale Towers to protect the trade route.
• After King Ares departed, Russell and Shadowflame exchanged a distant glance, then Russell went to Dagger Mountain Observatory.
• Russell questioned Sullivan, who showed him records indicating Frost Star followed a fluctuating, wave-shaped path disturbed by a massive body the astronomers could not locate.

Russell learned that Frost Star appeared to enter the Solar System intermittently and could be tied to the Frost Troll invasion and his own transmigration. He left its investigation to Sullivan and discussed his family’s move to Red Keep, while his grandmother chose to remain at Fluorite Castle.

• Sullivan told Russell that Frost Star’s intermittent appearances disrupted planetary orbits and predicted another transit between December and January, which could cause massive earthquakes on Dragon Star.
• Russell connected Frost Star’s arrival with the appearance of Frost Trolls and speculated that the same power might have caused his transmigration.
• Russell ordered Sullivan to continue observing Frost Star and prepare for an Astronomical Scholars delegation from the Scorching Torrent Kingdom.
• Russell invited his family to live at Red Keep, but Old Madam Ingrid chose to remain at Fluorite Castle with Aunt Roby while Baron Roman and Madam Meryl agreed to move.
• Russell promised Old Madam Ingrid that Samer would eventually be enfeoffed as a nobleman, then departed to return to Red Keep.

Russell pushed industrialization and a Thunder Sound Machine research project while his forces reopened a trade route through the snowfields. After two months, the Black Horse Snow Forest garrison saw a flickering black dot above the sun just as an earthquake shook the area.

• Russell ordered railways, roads, and other infrastructure built, then inspired scholars to develop a Thunder Sound Machine using lightning magic to transmit voices over long distances.
• Russell funded the Thunder Sound Machine project and assigned lightning-affiliated Phantom Beast Knights to help the scholars research it.
• Baron Roman led Knight Orders into the snowfields to clear a trade route, and they built a Shadowflame Scale Tower in the Black Horse Snow Forest.
• Harpy Harpie trained in the forest for a chance to advance into a Phantom Dragon and hunted Snow Demons, delivering Ice Soul Beads to the garrison.
• After the Dragon Birth Festival, the garrison spotted a flickering black dot above the setting sun, and an earthquake shook the Black Horse Snow Forest.

During Frost Star’s second transit across the sun, Russell and the Shadowflame Dragon realized that Frost Star was nearing its arrival and that the freezing force was growing stronger. That night, earthquakes, blizzards, and Snow Ghost invasions spread across the Shadowflame Grand Duchy.

• Russell observed the second Frost Star transit and sensed its influence over the Yunmeng Marsh Oasis.
• Russell visited the Shadowflame Dragon, who confirmed that the freezing force across the snowfields and Volcanic Oasis had intensified.
• Russell warned the Shadowflame Dragon that Frost Star was about to pass through the Gate of Another World and bring the Frost Trolls to Dragon Sleep Continent.
• Russell and the Shadowflame Dragon watched a meteor shower and suspected the meteors might carry Frost Trolls or other threats.
• Earthquakes and blizzards struck the Warm Lands, Snow Ghosts invaded, and Baron Roman led knights on border patrols.

Frost Da recruited Frost Warrior Luo to gather the support legion and help reclaim the Extreme Ice Sacred Artifact, while King Ares and Russell discussed the danger posed by Frost Star and the Three-Dragon Sacrifice Method. The chapter ended with Ares planning to use the dragons’ hopes as kindling to return to antiquity.

• Frost Warrior Luo emerged from a meteor crater and learned that Frost Ge had died, so Frost Da ordered him to gather the support legion for an attack on Scorching's bat nest.
• Luo rode a growing Snow Beast across the snowy plains, feeding it power by killing summoned Snow Demons as he searched for his companions.
• Frost Da worried about Russell Fluorite Mushroom but resolved that the arriving Frost Warriors would overwhelm the human nations and help it advance into a Frost Giant.
• At the Golden Palace, King Ares and Russell discussed the Frost Troll threat and the Three-Dragon Sacrifice Method before Russell departed.
• Ares and Scorching Dragon discussed Russell's plans and the delayed sacrifice, and Ares intended to use the hopes of Shadowflame Dragon and Torrent as kindling for Scorching's return to antiquity.

Russell pushed ahead with railway construction and forced the reluctant warm-enclave lords to contribute, then moved against Count Oscro after the Water Willow Family resisted his authority. His decree exiled Oscro and Augustus to the snowfields, confined Kunli, and divided Gravel Territory between Auden and the state.

• Russell opened construction on the railway from Furious Wind City to Ze City and ordered the warm-enclave lords to fund the wider network.
• Russell compelled Curis Zi Cao and the Sunflower Family to pay, while Count Oscro sought allies after hearing Russell might strip his family of its title.
• Dai Wen brought Russell records of the Water Willow Family’s resentment and asked him to preserve her son Auden’s title.
• After the cabinet proposed what Russell considered too light a punishment, he issued a Golden Seal decree exiling Oscro and Augustus for life and confining Kunli in Gravel Castle.
• Russell demoted the Earl of Gravel title to a barony for Auden upon adulthood, divided Gravel Territory between Auden and the state, and reclaimed two dragons.

Russell defended his harsh punishment of Oskro as a demand for absolute loyalty, prompting Marquis Merlin to resign rather than accept the Golden Seal edict. He replaced Merlin’s Cabinet leadership and told Baron Roman that the Grand Duchy had to unite under his will before the Frost Trolls invaded through the Gate of Another World.

• Russell told Marquis Merlin that Oskro’s punishment was meant to enforce reverence and absolute loyalty, not to match the severity of his crimes.
• Marquis Merlin objected to Russell’s edict, resigned as Chief Executive of the Cabinet, and received Russell’s approval.
• Russell appointed Baron Gevidas Baimai Gen as Chief Executive and Sir Dante as Minister of Finance, and Gevidas began carrying out the exile of Oskro and his son.
• Baron Roman asked Russell why Marquis Merlin had resigned, and Russell explained that he would not tolerate his vassals bargaining with or disregarding his will.
• Russell warned Baron Roman that Froststar’s approach meant the Frost Trolls would soon invade through the Gate of Another World, then asked his parents to help Marquis Merlin adjust to leaving Red Keep.